Construction of buildings



(No Model.) 7 3 Shets-Sheet 1.

W. T. SEARS.

GONSTRUGTION 0F BUILDINGS. No. 470,901, Patented Mar. 15,1892.-

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. NITED STATES W'ILLARD T. SEARS, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 470,901, dated March15, 1892.

Application filed May 9, 1890- Serial No. 351,141. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLARD T. SEARS, of Boston, in the county ofSuffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in the Construction of Buildings, of which the following isa specification.

This invention relates chiefly to the constructionof the horizontalpartitions of buildings-viz., those partitions the upper surfaces ofwhich support the floors of the rooms above, while their lower surfacessupport the ceilings of the rooms below; and 1t has for its object toprovide a partition of structure which shall comprise a homogeneous massor filling of concrete or other like moldable ma terial molded or formedinto the desiredshape between the fixed side supports-such as thehorizonal beams-whioh form parts of partitions of this class, and a.matrix or base on which said moldable material is superposed while in aplastic condition, said base serving, first, to give form to the saidmass or filling, and, secondly, to furnish means whereby a coat ofplastering may be retalned on the under side of the structure orpartition.

My invention consists in the construction and combination of parts, ashereinafter described and claimed. I

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 represents a vertical section of a portion'of a compositepartition embodying my invention, such section being taken on a planetransverse to the supporting-beams and on the hue 1 1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2represents a top plan view of said partition, the floor-boards on theupper surface of the same (shown in Fig. 1) being removed. Fig. 3represents a section on line 3 3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 represents aloottomview of a portion of the partition. Fig. 5 represents a section on line5 5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 represents a perspective view of one of thecross-bars. Fig. 7 represents a perspective view of one of saidcross-bars of somewhat different form and aportion of the foraminousbase attached thereto. Figs. 8, 9, and 10 represent lllOdlfi cations.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all thefigures.

In the drawings, a or represent the supports which form structural partsof the building,

the same being, for example, beams or girders which are preferably ofiron of I shape in cross-section. Said beams are engaged in the usual orany suitable way with the walls of a building or with any other suitablesupports.

1) I) represent the transverse or intermediate supports, which are barsof any suitable material formed to bear at their ends upon the sides ofthe beams a and to extend across the spaces between said beams. I preferto make said barsof a penetrable material,such aswood or terra-cottalumber; but they may be made of metal or other material. I have hereshown the ends of the supports 19 formed with recesses b'b'to receivethe flanges of the beams a, so that said ends bear closely against thesides of the beams and are interlocked with the latter, the beamssupporting the supports b.

0 represents the foraminous base, which may be made of sheets of wovenwire or of strips of other materialsuch as rattan-woven into sheets orformed in any other suitable way and attached by nails dor othersuitable fastenings to the supports 1). I prefer to make the lower edgesof said cross-bars narrower than their upper portions, as shown in Fig.5, so as to reduce the width of their hearing on the foraminous base tothe minimum. It will be seen that the foraminous base attached to thecross-bars b constitute the bottom of the space between the beams a a.

6 represents the filling of cement or other suitable material, which isoriginally plastic and becomes rigid subsequently. Said material issuperposed upon the foraminous base 0 while in a plastic condition andconstitutes senting an arched under surface between the beams a a.

Portions of the plastic material may exude through the openings in theforaminous base and form small spuds or protuberances, proj ectingdownwardly below said base and adapted to engage and hold a coating ofplastering, said projections being a substitute for I prefer to givesaid base an arched ordinary lathing; or the cement may remain whollyabove the foraminous base, the latter aiTordin g arough en edplaster-holdin g surface.

The upper surface of the filling c is preferably made flush with theupper edges of the supports 1), so that the floor-boards f can bear uponand be nailed to the upper edges of said supports.

I prefer to extend the lower edges of the supports 1) below the bottomflanges of the beams (L by forming downwardly-projecting shoulders 25 bon said supports, so that the portions of the foraminous base thatextend across and under the beams to will be separated from the latterby spacesg of sufficient size to admit portions of the cement filling,so that the same hold will be aiforded for the plastering material underthe beams a as between said beams. The cement that finds its way undersaid beams protects the latter from the injurious action of heat in caseof fire in the room below. The upper edges of the supports I) are alsopreferably formed to project above the top flanges of the beams Ct, asshown in Fig. 3, so as to form cement-receiving spaces 9' above saidbeams, the beams being therefore protected by the cement or filling bothabove and below.

It will be seen that the arched fillings or spans between the beams d,composed of the molded portions or fillings e and the foraminous base(2, constitute a strong and durable structure, presenting an undersurface capable of holding a coating of plastering, as alreadydescribed, the arched foraminous base serving a threefold purpose-viz,of molding the cement filling into an arched span, stiffening andsupporting said span, and affording a roughened under surface capable ofholding a coat of plastering. I do not limit myself, however, to thearched form of the foraminous base, although I consider the same verydesirable. In cases where the arched ceiling is not desirable, thecross-bars Z) may be rectilinear at their lower edges, as shown in Fig.6, in which case the foraminous base would be held horizontally, or thesupports may have any other form in which a ceiling is capable of beingmade.

By the employment of the arched base permanently secured to theframe-work of the partition and the filling e, molded upon said base, Iam enabled to construct ahigher arch than would be feasible by theemployment of previously-formed sections or brick, such as are commonlyused for arched ceilings. In cases where intermediate supports arerequired any other suitable devices may be employed as such support.

In Fig. 8 I show a modification in which a transverse metal rod 1; isextended across the space between the beams, the foraminous base 0 beingattached to said rod at suitable points between the beams.

In Fig. 9 I show suspension-rodsjj, connected at their inner ends witheyes is, attached to the beams a a and at their outer ends with theforaminous base. The rodsi or j will be embedded in and covered by thecement filling 6 when the structure is completed.

The foiaminous base may be constructed of woven wire, as already stated,orit maybe of any other suitable construotionas, for example, perforatedsheets of metal, strips or bars of any suitable material arranged in anysuitable way to present openings adapted to permit the exudation of thecement filling in the manner described, or to prevent a roughenedsurface capable of holding a coat of plastering.

\Vhile my invention is intended chiefly for the construction of thehorizontal partitions, or, in other words, the floors and ceilings ofbuildings, it is not limited to this feature, but may be used in archedroofs or ceilings made up of a single span, in which case the archedbase may be spheroidal or dome shaped and supported at its margin by theWalls of the structure to which it is applied. Fig. 10 shows aconstruction embodying the feature last indicated, in which 0 0represent the walls of the structure, the same being formed to supportthe arched base 0 and the marginal portions of the filling e.

I am aware that foraminous lathing is very old, and also that it hasbeen proposed to construct ceilings, partitions, and other structures ofplastic and hardened material covering both sides of a foraminous bed orframe-work; but my invention differs from all these, in that I coveronly the upper side of the foraminous base, leaving the lower sideeither partially or wholly uncovered, whereby ceiling-plaster may bereadily caused to adhere thereto.

I am also aware that crimped or corrugated plates forming a series ofstraight troughs have been proposed for horizontal partitions, saidtroughs being perforated and designed to receive plaster or cement,which is kept in position or strengthened by means of the Vertical websbetween the troughs; but in my invention I use only uncriinped oruncorrugated foraminous material, which may be of such strength onlysuflicient to support the weight of the filling until it has become setor hardened.

I claim- 1. The improved composite partition or floor comprisingsuitable supporting-beams, a foraminous base extending across the spacebetween said beams, bars of penetrable material extending across saidspace and engaged at their ends with the beams and receiving fasteningspassing through the foraminous base, and a filling superimposed upon theforaminous base and covering only the upper side thereof, as set forth.

2. Theimproved composite partition or floor comprising suitablesupporting-beams, a foraminous base extending across the space betweensaid beams, arched intermediate supports engaged at their ends with thebeams and at intermediate points with the foraininous base, whereby thelatter is supported in arched form, and a filling superimposed andformed upon the arched base, as set forth.

3. In a composite partition or floor, the combination of thesupporting-beams, a foraminous base extending across the space betweensaid beams and across the lower edge of the beams, and intermediatesupports engaged at their ends with the beams and extended at theirupper and lower edges, respectively, above and below the beams, wherebyreceiving-spaces g g for plastic material are formed above and below thebeams, as set forth.

4. The improved composite partition or floor comprising flanged metallicbeams, transverse wooden beams extending between the metal beams andprovided with arched under surfaces and flat upper surfaces, the latterconstituting the surfaces for the attachment thereto of floor-boards,with foraminous material secured to the arched under surfaces, and afilling of plastic material occupying the space upon the foraminousmaterial between the lower and upper surfaces of the beams, as setforth.

5. In a composite partition or floor, the combination of the flangedsupporting-beams, a foraminous base extending across the space betweensaid beams and across the lower edges of the support-beams, andintermediate supports having their ends recessed to interlock withflanged beams and extended at their upper and lower edges, respectively,above and below the beams, whereby receiving-spaces g g for plasticmaterial are formed above and below the beams, as set forth.v

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses, this 5th day of May, A. D. 1890.

WILLARD 'l. SEARS. Witnesses:

ARTHUR W. ORossLEY, A. D. HARRISON.

